Ice auger

ABSTRACT

An ice auger is formed of a body tube with ice-removing helix and a detachable blade, which has been provided with a supporting element fitting into the end of the body tube. The blade has been provided with one or several forks against the bottom of which the end of the helix rests, whereby the blade and the helix together form a continuous helical surface which has no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the passage of the ice flow.

United States Patent Rantanen Sept. 25, 1973 4] [CE AUGER 3,175,630 3/1965 Hein et a1. 175/18 [76] Inventor: Uuno Rantanen, Rauhankatu 2-4 A5 Heinola, Finland Pnnmry ExamzrzerMarvm A. Champion I Assistant Examiner-Richard E. Favreau [22] Filed: Sept. 16, 1971 Att0rneyToren & McGeady [52] US. Cl. 175/18, 175/394 [51] Int. Cl. F25c 5/04 [58] Field of Search 175/18, 386, 394, 175/388, 395

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,444,940 5/1969 Thomas et a1. 175/394 791,001 5/1905 Bittenbender 175/394 X 2,320,612 6/1943 Kandle 175/388 X App1.No.: 181,050

[ ABSTRACT An ice auger is formed of a body tube with iceremoving helix and a detachable blade, which has been provided with a supporting element fitting into the end of the body tube. The blade has been provided with one or several forks against the bottom of which the end of the helix rests, whereby the blade and the helix together form a continuous helical surface which has no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the passage of the ice flow.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures and time-consuming work. Moreover, they have formed, together with the attachment shoulder, an obstacle slowing down the flow of ice, whereby the boring has been slowed down.

The aim of the present invention is to eliminate the drawbacks and to produce an ice auger the blade of which can be rapidly and easily detached and attached, which is a great advantage, for instance, when a damaged blade is replaced, and which auger has no elements slowing down the boring process. The invention is mainly characterized in that the blade has been pro; vided with one or several forks against the bottom of which the end of the helix rests, whereby the blade and the helix together constitute a continuous helical surface which has no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the passage of the ice flow.

The invention is described in closer detail in the following with reference to the attached drawing wherein FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the invention in ele vational view,

FIG. 2 shows the'same, sectioned along the line II- 1 FIG. 3 shows the auger presented in FIG. I, viewed from one end, and

. FIG. 4 showsanother embodiment of the invention in sectional view, as seen in the longitudinal direction of'the tube.

In the case illustrated by FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, to the body tube 1 of the ice auger has been attached one single iceremoval helix 2 and to the end of the body tube, by screw attachment4, a detachable blade 3, which comprises a cutting head manufactured by bending from a sheet blank and sharpened on one or two edges, and to which has been attached e.g. by welding, a supporting element 5 fitting intothe body tube 1. This supporting element may be a dowel or a tubular piece or sleeve of lighter construction, which has been secured to the end of the body tube 1 by the screw 4 so as to be unturnable. The supporting element or sleeve 5 may furthermore be provided with a plug 9 which has been suitably dimensioned and the purpose of which is to prevent water from entering the body tube and the sleeve, and which thus prevents their interiors rusting and the freezing of water within them.

An essential part of the invention is the fact that the blade 3'has been provided with a fork 6, between the lips or jaws of which the end 7 of the helix 2 is guided to enter, whereby the blade and the helix together form a continuous helical surface, which has no screws, nuts or shoulders slowing down the passage of ice.

Fitting of the blade 3 in its place on the end of the body tube 1 is simply accomplished by first pushing the plug 9 into the supporting element 5 and then pushing the supporting element 5 into the end of the tube 1 and thereafter fitting the end 7 of the helix 1 into the fork 6 of the blade 3. In order to facilitate such guiding of the helix end, one jaw'of the fork 6'may be made to have greater length than the other, whereby it conveniently acts as a guiding surface. The end 7 of the helix now rests against the bottom of the fork 6, and the blade remains properly seated during the boring process, when the auger is turned in the boring direction. For the potential securing of the blade one may use not only a screw 4, but equally one may use a nail, rivet or a cotter pin with or without springloading, whereby the blade is held in its place whatever the direction in which the auger is rotated. Of these alternatives, a spring cotter pin or spring ring 8 has been shown in FIG. 4.

The examples presented in the foregoing represent only a few. of the embodiments of the invention, in which the blade has been attached to an ice auger having only one ice-removal helix. It is naturally possible to provide the blade with two forks, whereby it is suitable to be attached to an auger having two helices. The blade will then be held better than in the case illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2, without securing, in its place, and replacement of a sharp blade for one that has become dull is still accomplished in an instant. Of course, the blade may also be secured in its place in the manner described in the above, or one may employ any other quick-lock attachment'previously known in itself.

I claim:

1'. Improvement'in an ice auger, comprising an axially extending body tube having a first end and a second end, at least one ice-removing helix fixed to and extending about said body tube from the first end thereof, said helix having a leading end located at the first end of said tube and a trailing end spaced from the first end thereof, a detachable blade having a leading end and a trailing end, a supporting element secured to said detachable blade and extending from its trailing end, said supporting element fitted into the first end of said body tube so that the leading end of said detachable blade extends outwardly from the first end of said body tube, wherein the improvement comprises that the trailing end of said detachable blade adjacent the first end of said tube has a fork formed thereon with the opening of the fork directed toward the leading end of said helix at the first end of said body tube, the leading end of said helix is seated within and against the bottom of said fork so that said blade and helix combine to form a continuous helical surface which has no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the passage of the ice flow, and a locking element for securing said supporting element to said body tube at a position spaced from the first end thereof so that said blade cannot be turned relative to said body tube.

2. Ice auger according to claim 1, characterized in that of the jaws of the fork one is longer than the other in order to facilitate the task of guiding the leading end of the helix into its place.

3. Ice auger according to claim 1, characterized in that the element for securing the blade to the body tube is a screw.

4. Improvement in an ice auger, comprising a body tube with at least one ice-removing helix and a detachable blade which includes a supporting element fitted into the end of said body tube, wherein the improvement comprises that said blade has at least one fork provided thereon and the end of said helix rests against the bottom of said fork, so that said blade and said helix together form a continuous helical surface which has lar piece, and a plug fitted into said supporting element no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the pasfor the purpose of preventing the entry of water theresage of the ice flow, said supporting element of said through.

blade which fits into the end of said body tube is a tubu- UNITED STATES PATENT eEEicE fifiRTii-ECATE OF CORREGHON Patent NO. 3,760,890 Dated p mber 25, 1973 Uuno Rantanen Inventor(s) I 7 It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

In the heading of the patent, insert --(30) Foreign Application Priority Data February 4, 1971 Finland. .No. 308/7l-- Signed and. sealed this 25th day of" December 1973.

. (SEAL) Attest: I EDWARD M.ELET0'HEE,JE. RENE D. TEGTMEYER Attesting Officer Acting Commissioner of Patents FORM PO-IOSO (10-69) I U SCOMM-DQ 60376-PQ9 r us. GQVERMMENT PRINTING OFFICE: I965 9-355-334. 

1. Improvement in an ice auger, comprising an axially extending body tube having a first end and a second end, at least one iceremoving helix fixed to and extending about said body tube from the first end thereof, said helix having a leading end located at the first end of said tube and a trailing end spaced from the first end thereof, a detachable blade having a leading end and a trailing end, a supporting element secured to said detachable blade and extending from its trailing end, said supporting element fitted into the first end of said body tube so that the leading end of said detachable blade extends outwardly from the first end of said body tube, wherein the improvement comprises that the trailing end of said detachable blade adjacent the first end of said tube has a fork formed thereon with the opening of the fork directed toward the leading end of said helix at the first end of said body tube, the leading end of said helix is seated within and against the bottom of said fork so that said blade and helix combine to form a continuous helical surface which has no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the passage of the ice flow, and a locking element for securing said supporting element to said body tube at a position spaced from the first end thereof so that said blade cannot be turned relative to said body tube.
 2. Ice auger according to claim 1, characterized in that of the jaws of the fork one is longer than the other in order to facilitate the task of guiding the leading end of the helix into its place.
 3. Ice auger according to claim 1, characterized in that the element for securing the blade to the body tube is a screw.
 4. Improvement in an ice auger, comprising a body tube with at least one ice-removing helix and a detachable blade which includes a supporting element fitted into the end of said body tube, wherein the improvement comprises that said blade has at least one fork provided thereon and the end of said helix rests against the bottom of said fork, so that said blade and said helix together form a continuous helical surface which has no fixing elements or shoulders slowing down the passage of the ice flow, said supporting element of said blade which fits into the end of said body tube is a tubular piece, and a plug fitted into said supporting element for the purpose of preventing the entry of water therethrough. 